Laurea Magistrale (Second cycle degree/Two year Master - 120 ECTS) in Public and Social Communication Sciences

The 2nd cycle graduate programme (i. e. master's level) in Public and Social Communication Sciences aims to actively develop in the students those critical and methodological skills which are particularly appreciated today in the professional communication field.

For this purpose it includes:

a) learning activities aimed at the development of the theoretical and methodological research and study skills needed to form an authentic understanding of communication tasks, supported by the promotion of studies abroad through specific exchange programmes;

b) further learning activities aimed to develop those practical skills required by the job market. Those activities are often promoted through special agreements stipulated with companies and institutions. Specific extra-curricular work placement is also encouraged through internship agreements with private companies and public institutions in Italy and abroad. Those activities are particularly encouraged if linked to further studies and research, or if they can actively contribute to the development of operational and analytical tools useful for the preparation of the final examination.
The skills developed in this graduate programme emphasize the theoretical and methodological contributions to the communication field, and can rely on a specific multidisciplinary approach to social and economic sciences.

KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING:

Graduates will have theoretical and methodological knowledge on:

- theories, models and methods useful to define: the different characteristics of targeted publics; the socio-cultural and economic contexts in which communication plans are developed; the organisational structures in which they will operate;

- the most accredited schools and authors in the field of socio-cultural studies and communication. Graduate students will also be introduced to the debate on modern society with a particular focus on social change and inequality;

- the practice and knowledge of communication and marketing with particular reference to public communication and social responsibility;

- the most recent methods in communication planning, management and dissemination.

ABILITY TO APPLY KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING:

Graduates will be able to apply the achieved knowledge on:

- coordinating and designing integrated communication and marketing projects;
- capacity to use different media instruments, including multimedia tools;
- capacity to manage public relations with professional figures inside and outside of an organisation;
- competency in researching and evaluating the most appropriate methods to coordinate different communicative registers as well as defining marketing actions able to target specific publics:

- competency in coordinating working groups for the management of projects which require the collaboration of different professional figures;

- ability to organise information and cultural events, as much as manage media relations;

- capacity to evaluate companies communication requirements, and to develop projects aimed to improve their internal flow of information and knowledge;

- ability to mediate between users requirements and internal company needs with a specific focus on the public sector;

- competency in institutional and social communication in order to promote citizen participation, people's empowerment and active citizenship;

- capacity to collaborate in the construction and dissemination of information with a special focus on: social budgeting, mission reporting, the design and preparation of newspapers and information bulletins, the management of information also through the use of new technologies;

- capacity to participate in the redefinition of communication procedures and objectives as much as ability to train new staff in communication issues.

EVALUATION SKILLS:

Graduates will develop critical and evaluation skills that may be used to:

- assess suitable information and communication procedures useable in the referred companies or institutions in agreement with set purposes;

- build a map of social, demographic and cultural characteristics of a given territory;

- understand the needs of users and customers;

- monitor, gather and analyse data concerning characteristics of the territories in which an organisation operates;

- assess the level of user satisfaction and communication effectiveness inside and outside the company;

- assess the processes and outcomes of planned communication actions.

COMMUNICATION SKILLS:

Graduate will have specific skills on:

- critical and aware use of the main communication channels, instruments and methods;

- construction and analysis of data matrices using both qualitative and quantitative approaches;

- use of electronic archives and databases.

LEARNING SKILLS:

Graduate:
- will know how to plan timing, costs and methods for the implementation of a project or a research;

- will know how to autonomously use information technologies to carry out surveys and studies for learning purposes and to keep abreast of developments.